pNo sooner do I say that gold may go lower (and the U.S. dollar higher) than gold ramps up again and the greenback stumbles badly. Sigh. Well, my longer-term (and bigger) bets are on the right side.br /br /Here is news I'm reading ...br /br /a class=summheadline href=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601083amp;sid=aOsLprMIpWycamp;refer=currencystrongDollar Falls From Three-Week High Versus Euro as ADP Says Job Cuts Rose /strong/aThe dollar fell from a more-than three-week high against the euro after a private report showed U.S. job market deteriorated last month, reinforcing expectations for a long recession. br /br /XX Sean's note -- does the ADP news surprise anybody? Yes, the loss of 693,000 jobs was a href=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087amp;sid=axprAUuvIM3Aamp;refer=worldwidestronghigher than analysts' expectations /strong/aof a loss of 495,000 jobs. But everyone I talked to thought the real number would be higher than estimates. So again, who is surprised? br /br /a href=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087amp;sid=ahkU9Lg5fzoAamp;refer=homestrongOil Traders Seek Another 10 Supertankers for Storage/strong/a br /Frontline ...

img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/43/5843/160/thinking.jpg" /br /br /emspan style="color:#0000ff;"(P.S: Sorry for any disturbances the advertisements above may have caused you)/span/embr /A friend joined a fund management firm recently and was amazed at how the analysts were expected to cover multiple geographical markets simultaneously, since the firm managed several Asia-Pacific funds. How was he supposed to do it, he wondered, since he previously was only familiar with the Singapore market. Indeed, was it even humanly possible for a person to cover many markets at the same time?br /br /To me, there are three distinct aspects to developing one's expertise and effectiveness in the stock market: depth, breadth and philosophy. Be deficient in one aspect and he will be a much less effective investor by an order of magnitude because of it.br /br /In fact there are many analogies that I can draw between this and kungfu (which I like watching, and in the mood ...

Oil prices have fallen 70% since hitting a record $147.27 a barrel in July, which means in just five months, crude has given up all the price gains it made in the past four years.

After such a wrenching plunge, many analysts believe the outlook for the “black gold” remains bleak – and in the short term it certainly is. In the long run, however, dwindling supplies, resurgent demand, and a lack of investment will cause crude oil to double, triple, or even quintuple in price over the next few years.

In fact, the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) – energy advisor to 28 industrialized nations – says oil will rise to $100 a barrel by 2015, as a result of a major “supply crunch,” and will ultimately soar to $200 a barrel.

But before it does, prices are likely to sink even further, perhaps falling as low as $20 a barrel in

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Oil prices could fall as low as $20 a barrel in early 2009, says Jason Simpkins. But don’t expect these low prices to last long. Dwindling investment will prompt a longer-term supply crunch, which will send crude to new record highs. Jason gives seven ways to profit from this coming spike.

This from Money Morning:

Oil prices have fallen 70% since hitting a record $147.27 a barrel in July, which means in just five months, crude has given up all the price gains it made in the past four years.

After such a wrenching plunge, many analysts believe the outlook for the “black gold” remains bleak – and in the short term it certainly is. In the long run, however, dwindling supplies, resurgent demand, and a lack of investment will cause crude oil to double, triple, or even quintuple in price over the next few years.

In

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A stock market trading plan will not guarantee your success in the markets, but a good plan will enable you to work methodically toward your stock market trading goals while reviewing on a regular basis what is working and what is not. It will act as a roadmap for your trading journey. It will enable you to respond positively and constructively no matter what happens with your individual trades. And, most importantly, it will help you control the only thing a trader can control: his or her own actions.

Finally, stock market trading is a business. It can be a fascinating and sometimes thrilling business, but in the end it is a business. A trading plan helps you treat it as a business.

Successful stock market trading begins with a winning trading plan. It’s as simple as that. If you develop a well-conceived trading plan to guide your actions in the stock …

Japan’s gold exports have doubled this year as individual investors locked in profits after gold prices soared earlier in the year, but retail demand for bullion has been picking up steadily over the past few months.

Industry sources say the rise in retail demand for gold may turn Japan into a net importer again, but that may not happen immediately as many players are still looking to unload their gold holdings when prices recover.

Japan was a net importer of gold in October for the first time this year as investors bought on a plunge in prices, but exports exceeded imports again in November, finance ministry data showed on Friday.

In the eleven months to November, Japan’s exports of unwrought solid gold, gold bars and sheet totalled 393.9 tonnes, up from 174.9 tonnes in 2007.

In November alone, Japan exported 47 tonnes of gold, rising more

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As one of the most shocking and dismal economic years of our time comes to a close, it deserves a moment to take a look at the vast shifts which have transpired. Major banking giants which have fallen, stock markets have plummeted, and a whole host of issues have reared their head for the coming year. Yet, as we look ahead there are quite a few points of optimism. There are strong buying opportunities, and a sense of worldwide cooperation – both for investors, and for international leaders – which is arguably unique to this crisis, and will undoubtedly shape the next wave of future international financial decisions for the coming generation.

First, a quick, partial summary of international stock markets for the last year:

Developed:

US -42.32% UK -34.31% Germany -42.15% France -44.28% Italy -48.91% Belgium -54.96% Spain -40.69% Scandanavia -51.09% Netherlands -52.63% Russia -65.72%

Emerging:

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What is the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX?)

The SGX is Asia-Pacific’s first demutualised and integrated securities and derivatives exchange. The SGX was inaugurated on 1 December 1999, following the merger of two established and well-respected financial institutions - the Stock Exchange of Singapore (SES) and the Singapore International Monetary Exchange (SIMEX).

On 23 November 2000, SGX became the first exchange in Asia-Pacific to be listed via a public offer and a private placement. Listed on our own bourse, the SGX stock is a component of benchmark indices such as the MSCI Singapore Free Index and the Straits Times Index.

Home to Singapore’s leading listed companies, SGX is also at the forefront of exchanges globally in attracting international issuers and is rapidly emerging as Asia’s offshore risk management centre for international derivatives.

Which is making some Singapore companies look very attractive for overseas investments, which gives them a positive outlook for the future.

TRADING OPPORTUNITIES

It is …

Risk-taking revived but uncertainty lingers… U.S. dollar hits 2-month low vs euro, down vs yen… Don’t let go of recession trades just yet - JPMorgan

Asian stocks climbed nearly 4 percent on Monday on renewed hopes the U.S. automaker industry would be rescued, strengthening willingness to take risks and knocking the U.S. dollar to a two-month low against the euro.

Investors have been funnelling capital back to emerging Asia for the last few weeks and word the White House was considering using some of $700 billion meant to rescue financial institutions for the struggling car manufacturers extended the trend.

European stock index futures were also pointing to opening gains of at least 2 percent.

However, worsening U.S. economic data, a rapidly growing fiscal deficit and the likelihood the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again this week all combined to weaken the dollar.

“The

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“We’re going to see $200 oil at some point” Jim Rogers

Rogers buys oil last week as price drops Thu Dec 11, 2008 12:49pm EST

By Herbert Lash

http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=USTRE4BA4HD20081211

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Renowned commodities investor Jim Rogers said on Thursday that he bought oil last week as crude prices collapsed to near four-year lows and that the world is running out of known oil reserves.

Rogers told the Reuters Investment Outlook Summit in New York that he also closed his bets against the U.S. stock market in October, and plans to use the dollar’s rally as an opportunity to exit dollar-denominated assets.

Rogers, who spoke via a conference call from Miami, said he is the world’s worst market timer and a horrible short-term trader, but a sharp sell-off in oil prices suggested a bottom.

“Oil collapsed last week. Whenever you’ve had that sort of selling climax throughout any period

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